All Dressed Up in a Suit Girl
by reminiscent-afterthought
Summary: Because Zoey doesn't plan on wearing a dress to a Showcase, regardless of what anyone else might think.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Written for the

Short Multichap Competition  
Diversity Writing Challenge, i11 – a multichap with 9-14 chapters

* * *

 **All Dressed Up in a Suit Girl**  
 _Chapter 1_

.

Ash had a way of turning people's perception of the world on its head, even when he wasn't physically there. Zoey figured she wouldn't see him again after Sinnoh, barring on broadcasted league matches, but then he's on the international news for leaping off a tower after saving a rampaging Garchomp to catch his Pikachu, then again for stopping a rampaging monolith alongside the Gym leaders, Champions of Kalos and Hoenn, and the boy who'd defeated him in the League finals just hours before.

Dawn must have had some sort of alert set up, because she always managed to find out about those impromptu appearances. And friends of Ash who'll be near them, as well. They'd met May in Sinnoh, of course, and her brother Max was at the Petalburg Gym, but the others they'd run into on the road…

No wonder Ash always made it past the first round of Contests, despite not being a Coordinator. He knew a fair few Coordinators and had trained extensively with both May and Dawn. And it wasn't only Coordinators. Every Gym leader they ran into remembered him (and that was saying something, considering the amount of challengers they went through), and a fair few people aside.

And then there was the girl who'd fought the monolith in Kalos with Ash just a few months before. Ash had sent a message saying she was coming to Hoenn, and of course Dawn agreed to show her around Slateport before their own ferry departed back to Sinnoh.

Not that Zoey minded. She learned from meeting new people, and Ash (and so, by extension, Dawn) knew loads of interesting people. And all the detours made travelling with Dawn a lot more exciting than her own solo travels had ever been… though she's heard about Dawn's Sinnoh adventures and seen part of his Kalos ones on television and is glad Ash and the danger he inadvertently brings is absent this time around. She can only take so much excitement, at the end of the day.

Serena, of course, brought her own form of excitement off the plane from Kalos. Pokemon they've never seen before, for one: a beautiful Braxien, a cute but mischievous Pancham and a Sylveon that people had only recently discovered could evolve from Eevee. But not only that: she spoke about Performance Showcases as well. Something completely different to the appeals of Contests. Something with less battles, more performing, and a display of sometimes very different types of skills. One didn't need to be able to cook, strictly speaking, or even style themselves or their Pokémon to be a Contest Coordinator. One also didn't need to be female.

Zoey blinked at that last rule. So did Dawn. 'But it's not like any of those tasks are things males can't do?' she asked. 'I mean, Brock and Cilan are both excellent cooks. And Brock can sew, do housework… and a ton of other stuff I can't even manage.'

'And Clemont,' Serena agreed. 'He did most of the cooking with us. And he invents things. And Ash has a way with pokemon unlike anyone I've ever seen.'

'He does have that,' Zoey agreed. 'We saw how he saved that Garchomp, and he's always doing crazy things for his Pikachu. And then there was the story with his Chimchar.'

'You haven't seen the half of it,' Dawn groaned, and that was probably true. She probably hadn't even seen a quarter of it.

They traded stories for a while afterwards, explored the department store and smaller markers in Slateport and its massive Contest hall, and then headed out to the docks.

'You should try Showcases,' Serena suggested, when they explained their lack of plans after returning home. 'They're not Contests, but they'll give you a new perspectives. That's why Palmeo sent me here, so I can grow as a performer through Contests. I'm sure it's the same the other way around as well.'

'Will Ash be there?' Dawn asked.

'His flight was a couple of hours after mine, so he'll be back in Kanto soon.'

But it sounded like a reasonable idea nonetheless.

.

'Kalos,' Dawn mused, watching the waves from the deck. 'That's too far to get to by boat; we'd need to fly.'

They'd be a long way from Sinnoh. A long way from home. But did it really matter? A flight to Unova or Kalos was faster than a boat ride to Kanto and they'd been there for nearly a year, for the Kanto Grand Festival.

And it wasn't like Unova or Kalos had Contests. And Alola didn't even have a League. They could compete in the Grand Festival without competing in more contests (though that would be ill-advised), and it wouldn't hurt to spend at least a little time in a new place, learning new things.

'And think of all the gorgeous pokemon we could see there…'

'That's true,' Zoey smiled. 'New partners means new combinations and possibilities, and new friends as well.'

And they pour through the internet database while they wait, looking up the common Kalos pokemon, the interesting ones, the ones they might like on their team… Though, in the end, it was more coincidence and fate at play than anything: what pokemon they formed a connection with.

'But I wonder how those Showcases will work out,' Dawn mused. 'And I wonder why only females are allowed to enter.'

'Well, the title is Kalos Queen,' Zoey shrugged. 'It might just be historic.'

'Maybe… but it's another opportunity to wear pretty dresses.' Dawn gave a quick twirl. 'How about you? Will your swap out your suit for this one?'

'No, I don't think so.' She much preferred the suits. 'I'd rather be in pants than a dress or skirt.'

'True. I never see you in either.' Of course, they'd had this discussion before. A girls only competition might be another matter entirely, though. 'Still, it shouldn't matter. It's not like it's a law that girls have to wear dresses or skirts. I just like them.'

Well, that was true. Sure, people mentioned it from time to time and some would give her grief when she went to anything formal and didn't wear a dress like a proper lady, but that too was outdated notions infringing on the modern world.

'Matching colours again?' Dawn suggested.

'Not pink again, please.' Though Zoey laughed. Dawn managed to dress them both up even keeping their vastly different preferences in mind. And she'd only gotten better after working with Paris and Hermione at the Hearthome Collection. Better in designing, and better in contests as well. Better at finding the balance between simplicity and flashiness, to create a show where pokemon are the stars.

Showcases would have both pokemon and human as the star. 'That'll be a switch,' she said aloud.

'No doubt,' Dawn agreed. 'But we already get on stage all dressed up. It can't be too hard.'

They'd find out either way, once they got to Kalos, what the Showcases were like.


	2. Chapter 2

**All Dressed Up in a Suit Girl**  
 _Chapter 2_

.

They were exhausted when they finally docked in Coumarine City, and it turned out the nearest Showcase they could feasibly enter was in Laverre City, the next town over.

No doubt it would sound like a better idea once they'd had some rest on solid ground, but for the moment, all Dawn and Zoey wanted to do was crash into bed at the nearest Pokemon Centre. Except that didn't happen straight away. They had to log their visas, sign consent forms to get medical and training records sent over, and then call Dawn's mother to let her know they'd arrived safely. Zoey decided she'd call Candice tomorrow. She didn't worry as much, and knew full well how exhausting travelling was (even if Candice was preppy enough to hardly show such exhaustion herself).

Well, coming from Snowpoint City, she had to be good at travelling back and forth for Gym Leader, teacher and cheerleader duties. But by that logic, Zoey should travel better than she did – and she was fine on foot, and even on the back of a Dotrio… but an intercountry ferry ride was another matter entirely.

'I'm done,' Dawn announced finally, yawning. At least she travelled just as badly when it came to ferries. 'Let's skip the bath and just go to bed. We'll be plenty sore tomorrow as is.'

.

They were more sore the next morning, but the Pokemon Centre baths had an array of salts that made soaking a more pleasant experience. Zoey wondered if Dawn had known that ahead of time, with her comment the night before.

'Of course,' she grinned. 'I got tips from Serena. Though she did recommend we take the flight instead.'

'I can see why.' But it was too late to change their minds about that now. 'Can't say I've ever taken a plane before, though. And the stops were nice.'

'They were!' And Dawn released her pokemon from her poke balls so she could pick up the little tangela she'd caught on one of the islands. 'And I'm glad we got to visit them. Though that little Smoochum got away from us!'

Zoey laughed at the pout, but the smoochum had admittedly been cute and quite the character. Still, they'd both come away with a new friend for their teams, and seen many interesting pokemon aside. Like the dancing Bellossum that made Dawn hunt all day for a sun stone and almost miss the ferry off the island and didn't manage to find a stone for her oddish from Kanto.

Another time, perhaps. It had taken her quite a while to hunt down a dawn stone for her kirlia. And now, apparently, gallade could mega evolve, so she had a mega stone to hunt down here. Dawn, on the other hand… 'Did Serena mention if any of your pokemon can mega evolve?'

'When swablu evolves, it can,' Dawn grinned. 'An Altaria that can mega evolve… It'll be gorgeous.'

'I'll say.' Pity she hadn't managed to catch that Bagon at the falls. She had new friends from Hoenn herself, but hadn't gotten her hands on a dragon pokemon yet. 'Oh, your larvitar can too, once it's fully evolved.'

The cute little baby larvitar they'd found hiding from the ice pokemon? That'll be a sight, Zoey thought. Granted, tyrannitar itself would be a sight, considering how small larvitar was now. 'We've got a long way to go in that department, I think.'

'But we won't be in Kalos forever. We might as well!'

That was true. There was no harm in finding a mega stone for Tyrannitar too, if they could.

The water grew cold. They emptied it and refilled it with warm water. They weren't quite ready to get out.

'We'll see fairy types at Laverre,' Dawn continued. 'The gym leader, Valerie, is a fairy type specialist. She's also a world famous fashion designer so we should look in her store, too!'

'She's bound to be expensive,' Zoey said doubtfully.

'Her outfits are made to highlight pokemon,' Dawn wheedled. 'They'd be perfect for contests if they do.'

That was true, and no doubt Zoey would get dragged along anyway even if she said no. Not that she was planning to, with that hook. 'You got me,' she grinned. 'I wonder if she has something knightly to match Gallade.'

'I can just see it.' Dawn closed her eyes. 'A sword in a scabbard, too. You'd look so cool, doing matching poses.'

'Poses are more your thing,' Zoey reminded. 'I've heard your camp stories.'

Dawn laughed. 'And did you hear about all the trouble Ash got into?'

'A little… though it doesn't surprise me. He's not exactly the studious type.'

'No, he's really not. But he's one amazing battler anyway.'

Yeah, Ash did turn a lot of her preconceptions on their heads, but that was a good experience on the whole. He even gave her an interesting contest battle, despite being totally new to the scene.

'Though can you imagine Ash trying a Pokemon Showcase, even if males were allowed?' Dawn laughed again. 'He hates dressing up!'

'Serena did show us those photos of the Performer's ball,' Zoey reminded.

'Oh yeah, she did… And he looked so tense with that blue haired girl, whoever that was. But when he was battling…'

'Or maybe it was because he was with Serena.'

'Ash? Noticing a girl?'

Zoey didn't think it would be that weird. And it wasn't like Ash would expect a girl to be a doll in a case like some guys did. But maybe she hadn't travelled around with Ash to really note if he had any interest in romance at all. Brock was obvious in that matter. Ash and Dawn… not so much.

'You know,' she commented, 'Barry seemed pretty sure you had a crush on Ash.'

Dawn coughed as air went down the wrong way. 'I do _not_!' she protested.

Then again, she'd probably say the same either way, so that didn't tell Zoey much.

.

They wound up leaving for Laverre the day after, because the bath went a long way (but not all the way) in easing their sore muscles. And they had the time to spare, so they spared it. Tried out their new tangela and larvitar on the Centre's training courts and tried out whatever combinations came to mind, most with no or disastrous results. Dawn had to shower another three times that day because of her tangela's spores, and Zoey needed a bandage after a spooked larvitar accidentally chomped down on her hand.

All in all though, it was a good day's training for their two new members.. They'd probably sit out of the first Showcase, but maybe one later down the road would see them on stage. If not then, then they could make their stage debut on the contest scene. They'd return eventually, after all. This was just a chance to try something new.

Dawn took to it like a fish to water, skipping around with her piplup and her tangela – her oldest and newest pokemon. And Zoey wasn't a slouch when it came to moving around, but she wasn't much of a dancer either. Moving in tandem with her pokemon…

'Well, guys?' She released the rest of her land team. 'Let's give it a practice run.'


	3. Chapter 3

**All Dressed Up in a Suit Girl**  
 _Chapter 3_

.

Laverre was a quaint town. Sinnoh didn't have anything quite like it: anywhere where the wind wafted through treetops without being too cold and bitter for most to bear. There was Snowpoint, of course, one of the highest places in Sinnoh asides from Mt Coronet (and, of course, no human lived permanently on Mt Coronet) but Snowpoint was a city of snow ad that lent itself to a very different sort of architecture.

Laverre was wood and trees and breeze and nature, and it made Zoey wonder why the gym leader here was a fairy specialist instead of grass or flying. Though apparently the gym leader of Coumarine city was a grass type specialist, so there was that. As for aerial fights… there was Viola in Santalune City and her bug types. But Johto had both bug and flying types. And she didn't know of any other region that had fairy type gym leaders. And maybe it didn't matter. Sunnyshore could've had a fire specialist, before Volkner turned the place into a solar powered paradise. Maybe it was just their upringings, that lead Candice to become an ice type specialist and Maylene who grew up in a dojo to lean towards fighting types. Maybe it was because Zoey had found that Glameow long ago that she didn't wind up specialising in any particular type. Maybe it was because of that mischevious little snover that hatched out of the egg Candice gave her that she'd never actually captured an ice type – or perhaps that was just coincidence. She didn't have any dragon types, either. Or fire types. And until little larvitar evolved, she wouldn't have any dark types either. And Dawn didn't have any rock or ghost types, or any ice types herself, or any fighting types…

They had quite a variety, but not everything. Apparently even Ash and Paul, who'd both been travelling for years and through many more regions than the pair of them, were lacking in a few types, including fairy.

Though trying to imagine stern Paul with a whimsical fairy type was rather amusing. Dawn snorted outright when Zoey raised the image. 'Yeah, probably not. Then again, pokemon of the same species have vastly different personalities so there might be one somewhere who's a good fit for him. And he mellowed out, you know.'

'I'll believe that when I see it.' They'd had that discussion before anyway, when Dawn recounted the events at the Sinnoh League. 'Bad luck for Ash to face that guy in the semi finals though. He could've made it into the victory tournament if that'd been the finals instead.'

'Though he denied entry into the victory tournament after coming runner up in the Lumiouse Conference.' Dawn shrugged. 'Ash isn't going to slow down until he gets to the top. But that Alain must've been something else.'

'Must've been.' Unova hadn't been his best showing, but Ash had gone into that final round of the Kalos League with all cylinders fully charged. It'd been a battle where it didn't matter who won or lost, because both trainers had given their all. Like the battle they'd shared at the Sinnoh Grand Festival. A battle they hadn't managed to replicate in Hoenn, or Kanto, by sheer luck of draw.

At least Dawn had paid the coordinator who'd defeated Zoey earlier on in kind, in the Kanto Grand Festival. A ribbon cup she'd been waiting a long time for. And Zoey had been frustrated, yes… and maybe that was why she was here, feminisation and different rules aside. Because she wanted to find something new, something strong, to carry her up again.

'Cheer up,' Dawn said, grinning and skipping ahead. 'How many Coordinators in our time can say they've participated in a Showcase? Kalos is so far and without Contests that most Coordinators don't bother.'

'Doesn't happen the other away, apparently.' The whole reason Serena had wound up in Hoenn was because it had been recommended to better her as a Performer. 'I guess it's because people from other regions aren't familiar with it.' Perhaps it was because it was so limiting, so feudal… and yet, sharing the stage with your pokemon instead of standing on the sidelines and yelling commands… That was more intricate, more involved, than a coordinator's first round appeal.

'It's a pity,' Dawn agreed. 'Also a pity it's girls only, but at least we're girls and can take advantage of it.'

And Dawn had a point there. They were two girls aiming to take advantage of the Showcase scene to better themselves as Coordinators. Surely there were things out there, too, that males were privy too and females weren't. And it wasn't all that long ago – Dawn's mother's time – where male Coordinators were few and scorned. Then people like Wallace and Juan broke through the ranks and suddenly, it was acceptable. Just like the League had been dominated by old men in the time of their grandparents until women like Agatha and Bertha battled their way to the top. And now Cynthia was Sinnoh's champion. And Diantha was Champion of Kalos.

Diantha and Aria: the Champion and the Queen. Or perhaps Kalos was female dominated all round. The shops they'd passed were cute and quaint and certainly appealing to someone like Dawn, but a little too doll-like for Zoey. And the clothes were beautiful, as Dawn had promised. Beautiful and easy to see the pokemon in them. That didn't mean, though, that they made the pokemon the stars.

Then again, she'd done pretty hopelessly in Showcases in the Sinnoh region, so she'd trust Dawn's eye on that matter.

Dawn who was now tugging her arm. 'Come on. Valerie's doing a fashion walk with some new designs! And that's the best way to see them, Serena said. Something about battling..?' She shrugged off the confusion. 'Guess we'll see.'

'Lemmie guess.' Zoey let herself be pulled. 'Ash was in the battle.'

'The guy next to Ash,' Dawn corrected. 'Bet Ash was disappointed.'

'Bet you're right.' It wasn't often Ash _wasn't_ involved in something. He just had that kind of presence.

.

Valerie was small and dainty and dressed in what was clearly one of her designs and with fairy types in mind. Behind her was a row of girls and their pokemon… and Dawn was right. Or Serena, rather, who'd recommended this to her. Paired with their pokemon, Zoey could see the resemblance far better than on display in boutiques – and as they moved on stage (and all they really did was walk and pose a little for the flashing cameras in the crowd), the resemblance was even more pronounced.

Maybe Dawn was right and they should think about getting costumes here. Though she shuddered at the potential cost.

'And now, for the main highlight of this showcase…'

The other girls moved off stage, leaving just Valerie scanning the crowd. Piplup jumped onto Dawn's head for a better view. Valerie looked straight at the pair of them, and smiled.

Ash was good at attracting attention, but travelling for so long with Dawn had taught Zoey that she was too. And, by extension…

'You in the orange vest with the sunglasses.'

And now she felt horribly underdressed, clamouring onto the stage in her travel-wear.


	4. Chapter 4

**All Dressed Up in a Suit Girl**  
 _Chapter 4_

.

'What's your name?' Valerie asked. Her voice, too, was soft and fluttery – and yet still clear despite the murmuring crowd.

'Zoey,' Zoey replied.

'And are you participating in the league?' She sounded merely curious, but she was a gym leader. No doubt that question had more than one meaning.

Though Zoey had a plain answer for her anyway. 'No. I'm a Coordinator from Sinnoh, here for the Showcases.'

'Aah, I see.' She smiled. 'But Coordinators have beautiful and strong battles, no?'

'They sure do.' Valerie, it seemed, knew not to underestimate a Coordinator. And she was a fairy type expert, which meant dragon type moves wouldn't work at all… and it was a pity none of her pokemon had dragon type moves because she would love to come up with something like Glameow's shadow claw…

But that was probably too ambitious against a gym leader anyway. A steel or poison type, then, even though gym leaders were generally adept at handling types their pokemon were generally weak against. So she could use the Venomoth she acquired from Kanto, but she probably stood the best chance with Glameow's iron tail.

Glameow it was, then.

Valerie sent out a spritzee.

.

Valerie wasn't a gym leader for nothing. First, it was gyro ball that blocked any attack that got too close. Then, when Zoey tried fake out instead, it was trick room flipping the tables. Spritzee, who was already decently fast, was even faster in that room and Glameow's speed meant nothing.

Zoey was good at thinking outside the box though, and that was what one had to do with trick room in play and no way to substitute to a slower pokemon. Though trick room was an odd choice for a speedy pokemon. Perhaps Valerie was preparing for an evolution? Or perhaps it was intended to throw her opponents off guard.

It had certainly thrown her off guard.

Trick room, trick room… It would disappear eventually but she wasn't confident that she'd last that long at such a disadvantage. That meant breaking the wall somehow. Trick room, which was a psychic type move…

Of course, Glameow had shadow claw which was a ghost type. And if Glameow could endure the hits she'd inevitably take, then maybe she could tear through trick room.

Except Valerie chose that moment, when the trick room shattered into glorious colours, to unleash a fatal dazzling gleam.

And, just like that, the match was over.

.

Valerie reminded them a little of Fantina, except that Valerie wasn't a Coordinator. 'I performed, in my youth,' she explained, 'and what I loved the most was being on stage with my pokemon, being as close to them as possible. Standing on the sidelines and giving commands just isn't the same, but I'm here now because I need trainers to understand that there's something in sharing the stage, sharing the battlefield, with your pokemon that is irreplaceable by training and strategy.'

'I hear ya,' Zoey said. Performances were more than they appeared, and this proved it.

'You are close with your pokemon,' Valerie continued. 'Truthfully, you didn't lack in strategy, or finesse, but pure strength in your case. To become closer to your pokemon, you must spend time with them, in the things they do. To become stronger in battle, you must battle.'

'Well, that's true.' Zoey sighed. 'We haven't battled much since the Grand Festival, have we?'

'Nope.' Dawn shook her head. 'And the last time I went up against a Gym Leader – Maylene in Sinnoh – I got creamed 3-0.'

'It will be a good experience,' Valerie said. 'Battles, and performances. Both very different. Both different to Contests too. Breeding. Research. Law enforcement. Healing. There are many roles in which humans and pokemon can work together, and one can stand to learn from all of them.'

Dawn clapped her hands. 'Brock was a gym leader. And he'd travel around with Ash so much. He'd battle trainers, sometimes. Entered a Contest once too. And, finally, he decided he wanted to become a doctor because that was what called out to him: a place where his and his pokemons' skills could be best utilised.'

'Yes, people do find their paths changing like that.' Valerie laughed. 'It is good for gym leaders to travel, because the world of trainers is never static and how can they hope to impart something onto their challengers if they can't keep up?'

Candice travelled sometimes, too. Zoey had never asked what she did along the way, because Candice would always laugh it off and say she was coming to cheer. But maybe there was more to it than that. Like how Maylene would jog through the snowy routes to visit and call it training. Or how Roark and Byron would scream Iron Island to the ground, arguing about what fossils were better.

'Imagine if we entered a league tournament one day,' Dawn said with a grin. 'We'd have to work quite a bit to defeat gym leaders, but we could do it. We've trained with Ash.' She was talking to her pokemon now, sprawled in Valerie's garden. Piplup chirped in agreement. Lopunny jumped over in excitement. Swablu trilled and the tangela scrambled away, and Oddish jumped on the spot and glowed.

Dawn, of course, took her oddish evolving as a sign that they should enter a league after they were done with Performances. 'I respect Nando and all, but I don't think I can handle both at once.'

'Agreed.' Because Nando was, quite frankly, mind-blowing… and there was a small, cynical, part of her who couldn't help but wonder if he hadn't self-destructed in the Vetress Conference's first round because he'd dried out in the Ribbon Cup.

Though, to be fair, he'd been up against Ash who made it all the way to the semi-finals and who defeated a Darkrai, so it might not have mattered anyway. Still, they all knew how quickly the tides of battles and contests could change. Even power had its merits, like Ash and Kenny and several other Coordinators tried to prove. And battles… a knock out could reverse the entire stage: a last ditch effort to take the match, or simply representing the difference in power no amount of charm could overcome…

As more and more people became Top Coordinators, the field grew more competitive. It wasn't enough to just have a grateful spar on the stage. If she wanted to just dance, she should think of another career path… but no, she loved the battle aspect too. She was a Coordinator through and through and Performances would give her new insight into the appeals side of things but battles, gym and league and trainer battles, would open doors on the second – the battle – stage.

Years ago, she would have scorned the very idea. 'The old me's going to kick me in the butt for saying this, but let's go back and enter a League.'

Dawn laughed. 'I bet we're not the only ones to do it. The committee really needs to do something about that loophole. I mean, Kenny steamrolls through the battle stages. And Bobby's powerhouses are even bigger.'

But Dawn had Mamoswine, a powerhouse of her own. There wasn't a single pokemon on Zoey's current team that could be called a powerhouse, though larvitar's evolved form would definitely fit the bill. She didn't need powerhouses, per say. But she did need to be able to endure them. Tricks could only take her so far against brute strength and that was why she'd lost the Kanto Grand Festival.

'Come challenge me again, if you like,' said Valerie. 'And you too, Dawn. You had the right idea breaking trick room. I had a challenger break it with his Hawlucha's X-scissor and he defeated me.'

'Ash, by any chance?' Dawn asked.

Of course it was Ash. Small world, after all. 'Seems to me you could've taken more advantage of him,' Dawn,' Zoey commented. 'I mean, you had a seasoned battle that routinely made it into the top 8 in League tournaments as well as a former gym leader at your disposal.'

'I could barely wrap my head around Contests back then!' Dawn exclaimed. 'And you grew up with a Gym Leader.' And Dawn grew up with a Top Coordinator.

'We came all the way here and had resources we could have better utilised at home,' Zoey laughed. 'I guess we're going for the Sinnoh League.'

'After the Showcases.'

'After the Showcases.'


End file.
